Blue Byte
in Mülheim, Germany | founders = | hq_location_city = Düsseldorf | hq_location_country = Germany | num_locations = 2 studios | num_locations_year = 2014 | key_people = Benedikt Grindel (managing director) | products = | num_employees = 360 | num_employees_year = 2018 | parent = Ubisoft (2001–present) | website = }} '''Ubisoft Blue Byte GmbH' is a German video game developer based in Düsseldorf. Founded in October 1988 by Thomas Hertzler and Lothar Schmitt, the company is best known for developing the Anno and The Settlers series. In January 2001, the company was acquired by Ubisoft. In 2014, Related Designs became part of Blue Byte. History 1988: Startup In 1988, Thomas Hertzler and Lothar Schmitt left Rainbow Arts, a German video game developer, and founded their own, Blue Byte, in October that year. To do so, Hertzler and Schmitt used a starting capital of 10,000 Deutsche Mark borrowed from Hertzler's parents and established an office in the attic of Hertzler's home in Mülheim. 1989–1993: First games Blue Byte's first published game was the tennis simulation Great Courts, released in 1989 by Ubi Soft. Blue Byte's first big success in Germany and Europe was the turn-based strategy game Battle Isle, completed in 1991. Inspired by the Japanese game Nectaris for the PC Engine, Battle Isle spawned numerous add-ons and sequels. The company's next big success followed in 1993 with the release of the managerial game Die Siedler, marketed internationally as The Settlers. The Settlers also had numerous sequels and became the most well-known of Blue Byte's products. 1994–2000: Major projects Over the years, Blue Byte developed and/or published numerous innovative titles including Chewy: Escape from F5 and Albion, but most of them were not successful internationally. Efforts to break into the American market, usually aided with publishing by Accolade, failed and success was limited to Germany and parts of Europe. In 1995 a Chicago-based entrepreneur named Julian Pretto travelled to Germany and convinced the founders to open a North American office. Following the successful release of Battle Isle 2020 in the United States, Pretto left the firm to pursue other interests. Three years later, Blue Byte moved from Chicago, Illinois, to its new facilities in Austin, Texas. The popular turn-based strategy ''Battle Isle'' series from the early 1990s achieved cult status similar to Settlers. However, when it was revised in 1997 as a 3-D tactical game Incubation similar to UFO: Enemy Unknown and later in 2001 Battle Isle: The Andosia War, which tried to bridge the gap between turn-based strategies and real-time strategies, it alienated many players who came to expect that the Battle Isle brand would represent traditional turn-based strategies. 2001: Ubi Soft acquisition In January 2001, Blue Byte was acquired by Ubi Soft (later Ubisoft), and tasked to focus on Blue Byte's two most popular series. At the time of the acquisition, Blue Byte had a staff of 64 people and was active in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Around 2013, Blue Byte worked with Related Designs on two of its titles including Might and Magic Heroes Online. Related Designs was acquired by Ubisoft in April 2013, from which point on the company would develop projects in tandem with Blue Byte. Related Designs was merged into Blue Byte on 18 June 2014, becoming Blue Byte's first external studio. In 2014, Blue Byte developed The Settlers: Kingdoms of Anteria. In 2015, the studio worked on Anno 2205. In 2016, the studio worked on Champions of Anteria, replacing The Settlers: Kingdoms of Anteria. The new game was a change from the original The Settlers series, with new gameplay. In 2017, the studio helped on the development for the game Skull & Bones. By late 2017, it had offices in Düsseldorf and Mainz, and had worked on For Honor and Rainbow Six: Siege. In 2018, the studio announced The Settlers, the eighth game in the series. Blue Byte is also developing Anno 1800. As of July 2018, the company, together with Ubisoft Berlin, employs 360 people. Games developed or published Battle Isle series Settlers series Anno series Other See also * List of companies in Germany * List of video game developers References External links * Category:Ubisoft divisions and subsidiaries Category:Video game companies established in 1988 Category:Video game companies of Germany Category:Video game development companies Category:Video game publishers Category:Companies based in Düsseldorf